50 Best Mac Apps to Install with Homebrew

Updated January 2026 • 12 min read

One of the best things about Homebrew is Homebrew Cask — the ability to install GUI applications with a single terminal command. No more hunting for download links or dragging apps to your Applications folder.

Here are the 50 best Mac apps you can install via Homebrew, organized by category.

How to Install Casks

To install any app from this list, use: brew install --cask app-name

Or use Taphouse to browse and install visually!

Developer Tools

Visual Studio Code

visual-studio-code

The most popular code editor. Lightweight, extensible, and free.

iTerm2

iterm2

The best terminal emulator for macOS. Split panes, search, and more.

Docker Desktop

docker

Run containers on your Mac. Essential for modern development.

Sublime Text

sublime-text

Fast, lightweight text editor beloved by many developers.

Postman

postman

API development and testing made easy.

TablePlus

tableplus

Modern, native database management GUI.

Insomnia

insomnia

Open-source API client. Great Postman alternative.

GitHub Desktop

github

Simple Git GUI from GitHub.

Install all developer tools:

brew install --cask visual-studio-code iterm2 docker sublime-text postman tableplus insomnia github

Productivity

Raycast

raycast

Supercharged Spotlight replacement. Extensions, snippets, and more.

Alfred

alfred

Powerful launcher and automation tool.

Rectangle

rectangle

Free window management with keyboard shortcuts.

Notion

notion

All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, and databases.

Obsidian

obsidian

Powerful knowledge base with markdown files.

1Password

1password

Premium password manager.

Bitwarden

bitwarden

Open-source password manager.

Todoist

todoist

Beautiful task management app.

Browsers

Google Chrome

google-chrome

The world's most popular browser.

Firefox

firefox

Privacy-focused browser from Mozilla.

Arc

arc

The browser for power users. Spaces, profiles, and more.

Brave

brave-browser

Privacy browser with built-in ad blocking.

Communication

Slack

slack

Team communication and collaboration.

Discord

discord

Voice, video, and text chat.

Zoom

zoom

Video conferencing and meetings.

Fast, secure messaging app.

Popular messaging app for Mac.

Microsoft Teams

microsoft-teams

Enterprise team collaboration.

Media & Design

Figma

figma

Collaborative design tool.

Spotify

spotify

Music streaming with massive library.

VLC

vlc

Plays any media file. Period.

IINA

iina

Modern, native macOS media player.

HandBrake

handbrake

Free video transcoder.

ImageOptim

imageoptim

Compress images without losing quality.

System Utilities

AppCleaner

appcleaner

Completely uninstall apps and their leftovers.

The Unarchiver

the-unarchiver

Open any archive format.

Stats

stats

System monitor in your menu bar.

Karabiner Elements

karabiner-elements

Powerful keyboard customization.

MonitorControl

monitorcontrol

Control external monitor brightness.

Hidden Bar

hiddenbar

Hide menu bar icons.

AltTab

alt-tab

Windows-style alt-tab for macOS.

Mos

mos

Smooth scrolling for external mice.

Cloud & Sync

Dropbox

dropbox

Cloud storage and file sync.

Google Drive

google-drive

Google's cloud storage solution.

Syncthing

syncthing

Open-source continuous file sync.

Transmit

transmit

Premium FTP/SFTP client.

Security & Privacy

Mullvad VPN

mullvad-vpn

Privacy-focused VPN service.

Little Snitch

little-snitch

Network monitoring and firewall.

ProtonVPN

protonvpn

Secure VPN from the makers of ProtonMail.

GPG Suite

gpg-suite

Email encryption and key management.

Easier Way to Browse and Install

Instead of memorizing cask names, use Taphouse to visually browse all 8,000+ casks and install with a click.

Download Taphouse Free

Quick Install Script

Here's a script to install the most popular casks in one go:

#!/bin/bash
# Essential Mac apps via Homebrew

# Browsers
brew install --cask google-chrome firefox arc

# Productivity
brew install --cask raycast rectangle notion obsidian

# Development
brew install --cask visual-studio-code iterm2 docker tableplus

# Communication
brew install --cask slack discord zoom

# Media
brew install --cask spotify vlc figma

# Utilities
brew install --cask appcleaner the-unarchiver stats rectangle

# Password manager
brew install --cask bitwarden

echo "Done! All apps installed."

Save this as install-apps.sh, run chmod +x install-apps.sh, then ./install-apps.sh.

Keeping Apps Updated

One of the best things about installing apps via Homebrew: updates are easy.

# See which casks have updates
brew outdated --cask

# Update all casks
brew upgrade --cask

# Update a specific cask
brew upgrade --cask visual-studio-code

Or let Taphouse show you outdated apps and update them with one click.

Summary

Homebrew Cask is the fastest way to set up a new Mac or keep your apps organized. Instead of visiting dozens of websites and clicking through installers, a few terminal commands (or clicks in Taphouse) get you up and running.

Start with the essentials, then explore the 8,000+ casks available. Happy brewing!